Thursday, January 7, 2010

On another note...junk scanners?

I am for airport security as much as the next person, but this body scanner thing rides a very fine line between security and our right to privacy. It doesn't seem to hide much. And the cost to the tax payers are going to be exorbitant. Furthermore, is it really going to prevent more terrorism? This Nigerian fellow allegedly got on to the plane escorted by "men in black" (Yes, I think it was an inside job).

I used to have a supervisor who refused to wear a seat belt. One time, we were going to meet some workers downtown and carpooled together. When I reached to put on my seat belt he laughed. I gave him a funny look. He smirked and asked me if I always wore my seat belt. I thought about it, I never used to wear it but now I have a new car that really annoys you when it isn't fastened so I wear it now.

What do seat belts have to do with body scans at airports? This supervisor's seat belt theory was that the government had no business telling you to wear your seat belt. Your body was your responsibility to protect or not protect. Like the flu shot - we are told by the government or the CDC that a flu shot is a good idea - but they don't require us to get one. Yet.

"Give them an inch they'll take a mile", is what my Libertarian supervisor would say. Soon they'll be telling you how many doctors should occupy a municipality, or how many teaching degrees and engineering degrees to hand out. In China, they tell you how many children you are allowed to have. Their government decides the size of your family. Perhaps this is going a bit far (in our case, but the Chinese need to revolt). Perhaps it is being a gullible conspiracy theorist.

Now that the government has access to our naked bodies - for our own protection at the airport. When are they going to install these scanners in public schools, and shopping malls, workplaces, and sports stadiums? So, is our own naked image our property anymore? Doesn't sound like it. Sounds like the government has taken over our right to our own nakedness. I won't even get into the pedophilia problem this practice will cause. What's next? How far will we although them to go??